Method of producing yarn rovings



Dec. 12, 1933. G. A. SCHMITT 1,939,525

METHOD OF PRODUCING YARN ROVINGS Filed March 4, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 prize 6 uid, M

Dec. 12, 1933. G. A. SCHMITT METHOD OF PRODUCING YARN ROVINGS Filed March 4, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 12, 1933.

G. A. SCHMITT 1,939,525 ME'I I IOD CF. PRODUCING YARN ROVINGS Filed March 4, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF PRODUCING YARN ROVINGS Application March 4, 1932. Serial No. 596,833

15 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of yarns, and particularly to the manufacture of woolen yarns of the finer grades and weights, known as "worsted".

In the manufacture of worsted yarns the wool fibers are first passed through carding operations, whereby the fibers are primarily straightened and formed into a primary web on the finishing cylinder of a carding machine. This primary web is subsequently removed from the carding cylinder and condensed into a single continuous sliver of fibers, hereinafter termed a primary sliver, which is wound in a ball or delivered into a can or other receptacle. A number of these primary slivers are then passed through two successive gilling operations, wherein the fibers of the slivers are further straightened and mixed, the shorter fibers being distributed among the longer fibers. In each of the gilling operations the slivers are drawn down to a smaller cross-sectional size and correspondingly increased in length.

These partially drawn primary slivers are then run through a combing machine, to remove all foreign substances such as vegetable matter or particles of dirt that may have clung to the fibers up to this stage in the working thereof. The combing operation also removes any lumps or balls of fleece composed of exceptionally short or broken fibers that sometimes form in and cling to the slivers and which are generally known in the art as nibs.

After combing, the partially drawn primary slivers pass through two more successive gilling operations, in each of which the weight of each sliver is further reduced and the fibers thereof further mixed and straightened to obtain as nearly a true parallel relationship between the fibers as possible. The prepared primary slivers are then formed into individual tops or balls for handling.

These bailed slivers are then assembled in a supporting frame adjacent a plurality of gill boxes, of either the intersecting or open type, with a predetermined number, for example four, of such gill boxes arranged side by side. The balled slivers are arranged in racks with anywhere from five to ten slivers for each gill box. Each gill box, or gill head, lays its particular plurality or series of primary slivers in side by side relation with respect to each other, combining each series of primary slivers into a secondary web and at the same time additionally straightening and mixing the fibers of the several primary slivers.

The plurality or gang of gill boxes are so arranged with respect to each other that the individual secondary webs coming respectively from the delivery ends thereof are laid successively in superposed relation one upon the other, thereby building up or assembling a relatively thick web.

The thick assembled web, under the process employed prior to this invention, is formed into a thick secondary sliver which then passes through a number of successive gilling and drawing operations, including at least two gilling and five or more drawing operations, whereby the secondary 5 sliver is materially reduced in thickness, correspondingly elongated, and prepared as a final roving, which is wound on a suitable spool to be placed in the spinning machines for finally reducing the roving to a thread or yarn of desired 7 weight.

In some instances, the rovings are passed through additional drawing operations to reduce the weight of the roving still further before the rovings are presented to the spinning machines 7 for their final formation into yarns or threads of extremely fine weight.

The object of the present invention is to reduce the total number of operations to which the fibers are subjected after the combing operation and until the fibers are formed into final rovings ready for the spinning operation.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the method of the 'prior art as described above is followed up and including the assembling of the secondary webs, as respectively produced by the gill heads of the gang gilling machine, into the relatively thick web, composed of the plurality of superposed layers assembled by the gang gilling machine. The several gilling and drawing operations usually employed to reduce the thick assembled web and the above mentioned secondary sliver formed thereby to the final roving are eliminated and the steps forming the subject of the present invention are employed in place thereof as will be fully disclosed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a rear view 01' the gang gilling machine by which the secondary webs are assembled into the one thick web, with apparatus for transforming the thick multiply web into a single consolidated and relatively thinner web attached thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of an apparatus including a gilling machine and a web-dividing machine such as a tape condenser, showing the consolidated web passinginto a gilling machine and passing from the gilling machine as a final web passing into the dividing machine;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 shows the consolidated web passing directly into the dividing machine;

Fig. 7 illustrates the consolidated web as being rolled with a separator between the layers of the roll;

Fig. 8 illustrates the rolls of the consolidated web being fed into the dividing machine;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the dividing machine shown in Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 diagrammatically illustrates the various steps of the process of producing worsted yarns according to the principles of the present invention.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the prepared primary slivers A have passed through the preliminary steps and have been formed into individual balls B, B in the manner above noted. As shown in Fig. 3, the balls B are supported on a suitable frame 1, at the rear of a gang of gilling machines 2, 2, and pass over guide rollers 3, 3 in substantially parallel, side by side relation to each other, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The plurality of primary slivers A in passing through the gilling machines 2 are combined into and leave the respective gilling machines as secondary webs C, C.

The secondary webs C as they come from the gilling machines 2, 2 are laid in superposed relation to each other upon an assemebling platform or conveyer 4 which is disposed at right angles to the path of movement of the primary slivers A in going through the gilling machines As shown in Fig. 2, the secondary web C coming from the first gilling machine 2 is laid directly on the support 4, the next gillingmachine laying its web C on top of the first web and so on throughout the number of gilling machines employed until the assembled relatively thick multiply web D composed of a plurality oi superposed layers, consisting of the webs'C, C, is produced.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the assembled thick multi-ply web D passes between a pair of compressing rolls 5, 5 and into an interseting gill box 6, which, for the purpose of the present invention, is operated in a manner to form the relatively thick multi-ply web D into a single consolidated web E.

In one form of the invention the single consolidated web E is formed into a roll or is wound on a spool, as illustrated at F in Fig. 1, as it comes from the intersecting gill 6, the consolidated web E being somewhat thinner and correspondingly longer than the multi-ply web D entering the gill box 6.

Several of the spools or rolls F are then placed in a rack at the back of a second intersecting gill box 20, see Figs. 4 and 5, having a plurality of heads 21, 21, with preferably two rolls in superposed relation behind each head 21, for

feeding of their respective consolidated webs E,-

E, in superposed relation into the head 21. Obviously, a single web E can be fed to each head 21 if desired; depending upon the ultimate result desired.

In the gill heads 21 the webs E are materially reduced in thickness and correspondingly lengthened to form a comparatively thin final web G suitable for roving, the draft in the gill boxes 6 and 20 being such that the web D is or may be drawn out to increase its length from 3 to 7 times. as desired, and reducing its thickness accordingly, whereby the final web G, upon leaving the gilling machine 20, will be anywhere from 28 to 13% of the thickness of the thick assembled web D and its length anywhere from 3 to 7 times as great as the length of the assembled web D, the draft in the gilling machines 6 and 20 being ragulated in accordance with the ultimate result desired.

The final web G is then ready for presentation to any desired type of dividing, drawing, and rubbing apparatus such as the tape condenser diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

In one form of the invention the final web G passes as a continuous operation from the gilling machine 20 directly to the bite of the splitting rolls 7 of the tape condenser 8 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a number of final webs G, G being fed to the tape condenser 8 at one time in side by side relation to each other as illustrated in Fig. 5. The final webs G, G are fed to the rolls 7, 7 of the tape condenser 8, around which the splitting tapes 9 of the condenser pass, in the usual manner, thereby dividing the final webs G, G, each into a plurality of ribbons R, R for a subsequent entrance between cooperating pairs of rubbing aprons 10, 10, of the condenser 8. The partially rubbed ribbons R pass from the rubbing aprons 10 to a series of rubbing aprons 11 respectively arranged in tandem with the aprons 10, in the usual manner.

In the rubbing aprons of the condense r the ribbons R are formed into rovings R of desired weight and texture. The rovings R pass to and are wound on spools S ready for the spinning machines, or ream! for additional drawing operations, in the manner above noted.

In another form of the invention, the assembled thick web D passes between the pair of compressing rolls 5, 5 and into the intersecting gill box 6 which, for the purpose of this form of the invention, is operated in a manner to transform the relatively thick assembled web D into a relatively thin consolidated and final web G suitable for roving, in a single operation, without passing through the second intercepting gill box 20 before entering the dividing machine 8, the draft in the gill box 6 alone being such that the web D will or may be drawn out to increase its length from 3 to 7 times, as desired, reducing its thickness accordingly, as noted above, whereby the final web G upon leaving the gilling machine 6, is ready for presentation to the dividing, drawing, and rubbing apparatus such as the tape condenser diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings.

If desired, the final web G may pass as a con tinuous operation from the gilling machine 6 directly to the bite of the splitting rolls 7 of the tape condenser 8 as illustrated in Fig. 8. However, it is more desirable to feed a number of these final webs G to the tape condenser at one time, in side by side relation to each other, and for this purpose the final webs G are formed into rolls F as they come from the gill head 6, see Fig. 7, and a number of the rolls F are supported substantially in axial. alignment adjacent the dividing machine 8, Fig. 8, to be fed to the splitting tapes 9 to divide the final webs G each into a plurality of ribbons R, R which are subsequent-- ly rubbed and drawn between the cooperating pairs of rubbing aprons 10, 10 and 11, 11 as above noted.

In order to avoid any tangling or intermingling of the fibers of the final webs G while they are in the rolls F or while being removed from the rolls and fed to the dividing machine, the present invention includes the use of a leader cloth L. which is simultaneously wound with each final web G in the formation of the roll F the roll F being composed of alternate layers of the web G and the leader cloth L. The leader cloth L prevents the fibers of one layer intermingling with the fibers of adjacent layers.

After the rolls F are placed in position adjacent the dividing machine and while the webs G are being fed to the splitting elements 9, 9 thereof the leader cloths L, L are separated from the layers of the final webs G as the said webs are unwound from the rolls F, the leader cloths L being wound into rolls L as indicated in Fig. 8 for use again in the winding of other rolls F as indicated in Fig. 7.

In another form of the invention a single head gill box-may be used in place of the four-head machine shown in Fig. 5, in which case each final web G as it comes from the single head, such as one of the heads 21, Figs. 4 and 5, would be wound into a roll similar to the roll F shown in Fig. '7 with the leader cloth L interwound therewith, after which a plurality of such rolls would be placed in position in front of the dividing machine as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9.

From the above, it will be obvious that in place of taking the thick webs as they come from the gang gilling machine after combing and forming the thick web into a thick secondary sliver and passing each of these thick secondary slivers through a considerable number of gilling and drawing operations to reduce each of these thick slivers into a final rating, which requires considerable machinery and alarge amount of fioor space to accommodate such machinery, as is the practice in the prior art, the present invention involves the consolidation of the thick web as it comes from the gang gilling machine into a final web in either one or two gilling operations, then splitting the final web into a plurality of ribbons, which are then run through rubbing aprons to reduce the ribbons to the final rovings, which requires but a small amount of machinery and a correspondingly small amount of floor space.

The manufacture of worsted yarns according to the process of the present invention, as above described, produces a yarn of the same weight and texture as that capable of being produced by'the old method above described, 'with the addition that the increased draft in the gill box 6 or in the gill boxes 6 and 20 combined pulls the fibers out into better parallel relationship than has been attained by the old method above noted, consequently producing a better grade of yarn than has been possible heretofore, by reason of fewer straggly loose ends being present in the finished product made in accordance with the present invention.

In addition to the improvement to the product, the number of operations is materially decreased by the method according to the present invention, consequently resulting in a reduction in v the number of machines and operators necessary,

corresponding to the leader cloth L between such layers. The consolidated webs E being thicker and consequently more substantial than the final webs G or G are not as susceptible to injury by intermingling of the fibers of superposed layers when rolled, therefore, the use of the leader cloth is not so essential and may be eliminated, when rolling the consolidated webs E into the rolls F. However, the method of rolling the final webs G or G into the rolls 1-" with the leader cloth L between the superposed layers of the roll has been found to be a convenient and practical way of preventing injury to these more or less flimsy webs in handling and transferring from one machine to another.

While the invention has been described above as relating to the manufacture of woolen yams, such as those known generally as worsted, the invention is applicable to the manufacture of yarns composed of spun silk, cotton; flax, or other fibrous materials and by the employment of the method of the present invention such materials may be effectively formed into final yarns or threads by a lesser number of operations to produce as good or a better grade of yarn than has been possible heretofore when the methods of the prior art are employed.

Fig. 10 diagrammatically illustrates the steps in the process before, after and including the reduction of the thick web D, the succession of steps as illustrated in Fig. 10 consisting of carding"; first gilling'fi second gilling; combing"; first gilling" after combing; second gilling" after combing, wherein the combed slivers are formed for presentation to the mixing gill", 2, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, by which the thick web D is formed; the finishing gill" 6 by which the thick web D is thinned to form the web E; the lap-rolling" by which the web E is formed into the roll for presentation to the reducing gill 1 20, wherein the web E is further reduced to the ultimate web G. The web G passes into the roving divider" 8, Figs. 4 and 5, from which the roving R. produced therein passes to the final steps of drawing and spinning".

I claim:

1. The method of producing yarns which consists in building up a relatively thick web of combed fibers and directly reducing the said thick web into a relatively thin fiat web and dividing the thin fiat web longitudinally into a plurality of relatively narrow ribbons suitable for roving.

2. The method of producing yarns which consists in building up a relatively thick web of combed fibers, directly reducing the said thick web into a relatively thin fiat elongated web suitable for roving, dividing the thin fiat web into a plurality of ribbons, and forming the divided ribbons into individual rovings.

3. The method of producing yarns which consists in assembling a plurality of slivers of combed fibers as a relatively thick web, directly reducing said thick web into a relatively thin fiat web suitable for roving, dividing the thin fiat web into a plurality of ribbons, and forming the divided ribbons into individual rovings.

4. The method of producing yarns which consists in grouping slivers of prepared fibers to form a number of independent webs, superposing said independent webs to form a relatively thick assembled web, reducing the assembled web to a relatively thin flat final web suitable for roving, dividing the final flat web into a plurality of ribbons, and forming the divided ribbons into individual rovings.

5. The method of producing yarns which consists in the carding of fibers to form a primary web, forming the primary web into a primary sliver, gilling and combing the sliver, concentrating groups of the prepared slivers to form a number of independent secondary webs, superposing the secondary webs to form a single relatively thick assembled web, reducing the thick assembled web to.a relatively thin fiat final web suitable for roving, dividing the thinned fiat final web into a plurality of ribbons, and forming the ribbons into individual rovingsi 6. The method of producing yarns which consists in the carding of fibers to form a primary web, forming the primary web into a primary sliver, gilling the sliver, combing the sliver, regilling the silver, assembling groups of the regllled slivers to form a number of independent secondary webs, superposing the secondary webs to form a single relatively thick assembled web, reducing the thick assembled web to a relatively thin fiat final web suitable for roving, dividing the thinned final web into a plurality of ribbons,

and forming the ribbons into individual rovings.-

l. The method of producing yarns which consists in the carding of fibers to form a primary web, forming the primary web into a primary sliver, passing the sliver through a plurality of gilling operations, combing the gilied sliver, passing the combed sliver through a secondary plurality of gilling operations, concentrating groups of the prepared slivers to form a number of independent secondary webs, superposing the secondary webs to form a single relatively thick assembled web, reducing the thick assembled web to a relatively thin fiat final web suitable for roving, dividing the thinned final web into a plurality of ribbons, and forming the ribbons into individual rovings.

8. The method 01 producing yarns which consists in the carding of fibers to form a primary web, forming the primary web into a primary sliver, passing the sliver through a plurality of gilling operations, combing the gilled sliver, passing the combed sliver through a second plurality of gilling operations, concentrating groups of the prepared slivers to form a number of independent secondary'webs, superposing the secondary webs to form a single relatively thick assembled web, reducing the assembled web to a relatively thin fiat final web suitable for roving, and pass ing the final web through dividing and rubbing operations wherein the final web is split into ribbons and the ribbons respectively rubbed and drawn into individual rovings of predetermined weight and texture. I

9. The method of producing yarns which consists in the carding of fibres to form a primary web, forming the primary web into a primary sliver, passing the sliver through a plurality of gilling operations, combing the gilled sliver, passing the combed sliver through a second plurality of gilling operations, concentrating groups of the prepared slivers to form a number of independent secondary webs, superposing the secondary webs to form a single relatively thick assembled web, reducing the assembled web into a relatively thin fiat final web suitable for roving, and passing the final web through dividing, drawing and rubbing operations wherein the final web is split into ribbons and the ribbons respectively rubbed and drawn into individual rovirgs of predetermined weight and textures.

10. The method of producing yarns which consists in the production of slivers composed of prepared fibers, combing the slivers, giving the slivers two gillings before combining and two gillings after combing, assembling predetermined numbers of the prepared slivers into a predetermined number of groups, passing each group through another gilling operation to form the slivers of each group into a web, superposing a predetermined number of such webs to form a relatively thick assembled web, passing the relatively thick assembled web through a predetermined number of gilling operations to transform the relatively thick assembled web into a relatively thin elongated fiat final web suitable for roving, splitting the thin fiat web into a plurality of ribbons, and forming the ribbons into individual rovings.

11. The method of producing yarns which consists in the production of slivers composed of prepared fibers, combing the slivers, giving the slivers two gillings before combing and two gillings after combing, assembling predetermined numbers of the prepared slivers into a predetermined number of groups, passing each group through another gilling operation to form the slivers of each groupinto a web, superposing a predetermined number of such webs to form a relatively thick assembled web, passing the relatively thick assembled web through not more than two successive gilling operations to transform the relatively thick assembled web into a relatively thin elongated fiat final web suitable for roving, spitting the thin fiat final web into ribbons, and passing the ribbons through rubbing and drawing operations to produce yarn rovings of predetermined weight and texture.

12. The method of producing yarns which consists in the production of slivers composed of prepared fibers, combing the slivers, giving the slivers two gillings before combing and two gillings after combing, assembling predetermined numbers of the prepared slivers into a predetermined number of groups, passing each group through another gilling operation to form the slivers of each group into a web, superposing a predetermined number of such webs to form a relatively thick assembled web, passing the relatively thick assembled web through a single gilling operation to transform the relatively thick assembled web into a relatively thin elongated final web suitable for roving, splitting the final web into ribbons, and passing the ribbons through rubbing and drawing operations to produce yarn rovings of predetermined weight and texture.

13. The method of producing yarns which consists in the production 01' slivers composed of prepared fibers, combing the slivers, giving the slivers two gillings before combing and two gillings after combing, assembling predetermined numbers of the prepared slivers into a predetermined number of groups, passing each group through another gilling operation to form the slivers of each group into a web, superposing a predetermined number of such webs to form a relatively thick multi-ply web, passing the relatively thick multi-ply web through a single gilling operation to consolidate the multi-ply web into a single web, passing the single consolidated web through a second gilling operation to reduce the consolidated web to a relatively thin elongated final web suitable for roving, splitting the final web into ribbons, and passing the ribbons through rubbing and drawing operations to produce yarn rovings of predetermined weight and texture.

14. The method of producing yarns which consists in grouping a plurality of slivers of prepared fibers to form a number of webs, superposing said webs to form a relatively thick multi-ply web, consolidating the multi-ply web into a single ply web, reducing the consolidated web to a. relatively thin flat final web suitable for roving, splitting the thin flat final web into a plurality of ribbons, and forming the ribbons into individual rovings.

15. The method of producing yarns which consists in grouping a plurality of slivers of prepared GEORGE A. SCHMI'IT.

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